Mesoamerican Reef Catchments

In the Mesoamerican Reef, the partnership established a Water Fund – a program in which downstream water users, like Coca-Cola bottling partners, pay for watershed protection efforts upstream to ensure the availability of clean water for their operations. Initially, bottling partners in the region were reluctant to participate, as they had not yet understood the connection between impacts to local ecosystems services, such as fresh water, and impacts to business. However, the partnership team leveraged a relationship with the local business unit to help engage the bottling partners, which increased legitimacy and helped build trust. This engagement started a cascade of similar collaborations with bottling partners and led to greater overall success.